In hadiths transmitted from our Prophet (saas), signs exist which indicate a period characterized by the domination of Quran’ic morals. This period of domination is spoken of as “End Times.” As revealed by the hadiths, the era, also known as the “Golden Age,” will last for more than half a century and will be much the same as ‘Time of Happiness’ of the principal attributes of this period can be mentioned here: an abundance of crops and goods of every type; safety; trust and justice; peace and happiness; and the utilization of all technological developments for the comfort, ease, joy and peace of all mankind. There will be no one in need; the needy will receive much more than they demand. The hadiths concerning “the cessation of arms” in this era herald a world filled with peace. In the “Golden Age,” societies which formerly experienced hostilities will establish strong ties of fraternity; peace and amity will replace every dispute.
At this phase of “End Times,” technological development will reach a peak and people will benefit from all its favours to the utmost. Remarkable progress will be made in the fields of medicine, agriculture, communication, industrial technology, and transportation. The world will continuously witness new inventions; every new invention will be the initiator of another and, in this way, developments will proceed at great speed.
Considerable improvements will also be achieved in the field of art. Works of diverse charm will be presented in music, theatre and painting. Attributes acquired through faith, such as a broad intellectual perspective and deep thinking, will cause all forms of art to flourish. According to a hadith, people will be so contented with their lives that they will not recognise how time passes and will pray to Allah to prolong their lives that they might receive more benefits from these graces. In another saying of our Prophet (saas), the setting in “End Times” is described as the following:
éThe younger ones wish they were grown-ups, while the adults wish they were youngeréThe good become even more good and the wicked ones are treated good.
(Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 17)
There will be unprecedented abundance
The “Golden Age” will be a period of great abundance and fertility. In this period, the needy person will be given much more than he demands; depression, poverty and hunger will not exist at all. The earth will be bountiful and, thanks to the newly developed agriculture technologies, the amount of the crop produced will be more than ever.
Those who believe and serve the way of Allah, will get the reward of every good deed they engage in multiplied, both in this world and in the hereafter. The abundance and wealth that is apparent in every facet of life will be a grace granted by Allah to the believers who obey the Qur’an. Every good act they perform will turn into an enormous fortune for them. In one of His verses, Allah mentions the fertility that Muslims will attain as a compensation for their spending for His pleasure.
The parable of those who spend their property in the way of Allah is as the parable of a grain growing seven ears (with) a hundred grains in every ear; and Allah multiplies for whom He pleases; and Allah is Ample-giving, Knowing. (Surat al-Baqara: 261)
It is communicated in many hadiths that, in this period, there will be abundance in crops and goods such as never had been seen before and that these goods would be distributed without limit to everyone who came with a demand:
…and my Ummah will be blessed in him with a blessing the like of which they will have never heard. The earth will give its produce and nothing of it will be stored, and wealth on that day will be in heapsé
(Sénen-i İbni Mace, 10-347/ Ramuz el Ahadis, s. 508/ İbni Mace-Tabarani’nin Kebiri)
Prophet Muhammad (saas) said: “In the last of times there will be such a khalifa who will distribute wealth without even counting it.”
(Méslim)
Then, the inhabitants of the heavens and earth, all the wild animals, birds, even the fish in the oceans, will cherish his caliphate. At his time, even the water of running rivers will increase.
(El-Kavlu’l Muhtasar Fi Alamet-il Mehdiyy-il Muntazar, p. 31)
Technological developments will provide abundance in the Golden Age
Someone sowing a measure of wheat will find seven hundred in return… é.A person will scatter a few handfuls of seeds but reap 700 handfuls é Despite an abundance of rain, not a drop will go waste.
(Signs of the Judgment Day, p. 164 / El-Kavlu’l Muhtasar Fi Alamatil Mehdiyy-il Muntazar, p. 24)
This saying draws attention to the progress towards modern agriculture in “End Times:” the development of new production techniques; seed improvement; and the utilization of rainwater by constructing new barrages and ponds.
In fact, remarkable improvements are being experienced in technology nowadays and this has resulted in a significant increase in the quality and amount of the crops. This enormous agricultural revolution is the result of high-paced improvements achieved, particularly in genetics, as well as in other types of technology. Certainly, this fertility will gradually increase and reach its peak in the “Golden Age.” All these technological developments which are still in experimental phases, and applied to very limited fields, will definitely contribute to the attainment of abundance and fertility in “End Times.” Thanks to these developments, available opportunities will be taken advantage of in the best way and extravagance and the workforce will be reduced to a minimum. Furthermore, people will have the opportunity to have durable and abundant products of high quality. In the “Golden Age,” this technology will be used for the benefit of people throughout the world and there will be justice in sharing favours between all people. There will be no discrimination between countries, races and communities. Equal distribution and just governance will dominate nations that are many kilometres away from each other or totally different in culture. What will provide such heavenly ambience in the world is the practice of the morals of the Qur’an in its true sense. Just governance of the Muslims, who fear Allah and turn to Him in every act they perform, will establish an atmosphere of high trust, peace and prosperity.
Another technological development that points to prosperity in the End Times is the greening of the deserts. If one takes into account the fact that forty three percent of the land on earth consists of deserts, it will be easier to understand how essential this subject is to agricultural technology.
Nowadays, thanks to water supplied to these infertile desert soils, more efficient production is within reach even in the most arid areas. If such high technology is implemented for every desert on earth, many countries which are at the threshold of famine will acquire fields which can be cultivated in a highly productive way. In order to enable agriculture in desert regions, the problem of a water supply must be solved and soil suitable for farming must be provided. Through the use of this technology, water flow can be directly conducted to the roots of plants and the extravagant waste of even one drop of water is prevented. The purification and use of all kinds of water supplies play a significant role in desert agriculture. In this context, the rapid utilization of flood and seawater constitutes a basis for agricultural technology. The vast water supply to be obtained in this way will provide considerable support to national economies. Our Prophet (saas) has also drawn our attention to the highly effective utilization of water in his hadiths:
…Both the good and the evil of the Ummah will be blessed with a blessing the like of which they will have never heard. Despite the abundance of rain, not a drop will go waste, the earth will become fruitful without a single seed.
(El-Kavlu’l Muhtasar Fi Alamatil Mehdiyy-il Muntazar, p. 23)
The High Cost of Living and Years of Poverty Will End
The “Golden Age” will be an era of great wealth and prosperity. The needy will receive much more than they demand; nothing will be counted and measured. The characteristic feature of the former period is that these were years of a high cost of living, a struggle to make a living and poverty. In this period, the poor became poorer whereas the wealthy increased their riches manyfold. Such characteristics of the End Times are emphasised in hadiths:
Poverty will increase.
(Death-Resurrection-The Hereafter and the Signs of the End Times, p. 457)
Allah brings calamities such as hunger and poverty as a warning to those who alienate themselves from religion. However, if those people undergoing great difficulties and distress had had faith in Allah, they would have arrived at ease after those problems. Truly, Allah grants a life of enormous wealth, prosperity and felicity to Muslims who have faith in Him, work for Him and serve eagerly on His way. In contrast, those who do not believe are given a life of misery because of their disbelief. At the times of ungratefulness, Allah takes away the blessings that He formerly granted them and tests them with hunger and fear. Allah describes the real cause underlying the “narrowed down” life that He grants to disbelievers as below:
“But whosoever turns away from My Message, verily for him is a life narrowed downé” (Surah Ta-ha: 124)
The communities who did not take heed to the words of the Messengers and took a firm stand on disbelief have always encountered extremely grave troubles in return. However, as communicated in the hadiths and informed in Qur’anic verses, Muslims are rewarded with substantial blessings in response to their faith. Furthermore, our Prophet (saas) has communicated that, during the last period of his community, in “End Times,” Muslims will live in great prosperity:
…A time will come when a person, with his golden alms in his hand, will go around, finding no one (in need) who is willing to receive the alms.
(Death-Resurrection-The Hereafter and the Signs of the End Times, p. 462)
The Latest Technology will be available for all people
The last quarter of the 20th century has been scene to an unprecedented pace in the world history of technological development. Technological instruments, unknown 100 years ago, have become essential parts of our lives. Moreover, a look at the technological developments of the last decade, when compared to those of previous periods, can only be defined as “unimaginable”. Recent developments are signs of great significance in regard to the advancements to be attained in the “Golden Age.”
In the “Golden Age,” this technological progress will provide people with great comfort and ease. Innovations, once considered as only imaginable, will play a part in every aspect of life thanks to advancing technology. People will enjoy superior facilities in houses, offices and schools together with comfortable, amusing and pleasant environments. Home computers will enable people to perform more efficiently. Shopping, heavy work, security, heating, ventilation, electricity and emergency systems will be controlled through computers; robots will replace the human work force in most tasks. Thanks to robots, people will be capable of finishing their work by automatic operations. Primary problems which scientists aim at finding remedies for by using active microchips are house cleaning, the fixing of broken appliances and the complete removal of home dust and mites. These projects will be entirely realized in the “Golden Age;” time consuming tasks will be will be accomplished by technological devices. Technology will reveal the art and knowledge of the world and provide visits in three dimensional environments by the use of cyber-television. Through this medium, people will also be able to attend entertainments and engage in intellect improving games. They will have the opportunity to gain experience without practice, remedy their failings and generally improve themselves. Developments and wide-range use of computer and internet technology will bring about fundamental changes in the educational system.
There will be a great leap forward in transportation technology in the “Golden Age”
People will be assured of ease, safety and comfort, and time loss will be minimized, thanks to developments in transportation technology.. With the newly built roads and vehicles, all measures will be taken to reduce accident risk to a minimum. The “underground” system will be the most preferred method of transportation and, in this context, the slightest detail that is visually offensive will be eliminated. In this way, not only will the problem of heavy traffic be solved, but also a more delightful and aesthetic scene will emerge. Solar or wind power, or electricity, as renewable fuels, will replace the air-polluting fuels that are used in transportation at the present time. Thus, the resultant discomforts will cease. Jets exceeding the speed of sound, trains, and other highly advanced transportation vehicles, will be furnished with every possible luxury that one might need. In the “Golden Age,” access to technological developments will no longer be restricted to high income groups but instead will be at the service of humanity. In this era, in which Islamic morals are practised, favours and opportunities will be equally distributed and discrimination will be totally eliminated.
The developments in the communications sector will be in service communication and will be another field of improvement in the “Golden Age”
In this era, extremely rapid communication and information exchange among people from all around the world will be possible. Everyone will have the chance to benefit from the facilities provided by satellites and this will result in speedier communication. Voice communication will be replaced by holographic phones which project both the voice and the 3-dimensional images of the parties involved.
Computer and Internet Technology Will Bring Prosperity to Earth
Computers provide great comfort and ease in many aspects of human life. They bring increased speed into daily and professional life, medicine, communication and art. In the “Golden Age,” computer technology will improve to further serve humanity. The Internet, which is considered to be among the leading developments of the 20th century, has defined a new epoch. The World Wide Web has enabled people from all over the world to reach each other in seconds, in order to share information, chat, talk, and, in brief, communicate in every way. Now it only takes a few minutes to find information: to make a search in the inventory of a library; to examine the reports of an international organization; to learn about events in the world and technological developments; and to access comments on any subject. Thus, information that people have accumulated after years of research and investigation is now accessible for the use of humanity. Thanks to the Internet, barriers that once prevented the sharing of information among people have been completely removed. All the developments in the world are now transmitted to all nations. Internet technology, continuing to develop, will surely reach a much more advanced stage in the future.
At this time, it is appropriate to draw attention to a significant point. Examination of world history reveals that no such developments have ever been achieved in any era of humanity. Technological advancements, which progressed throughout the 20th century in particular, can be defined as unique. It is beyond any doubt that, given a cross-section of today’s world, a person living merely 100 years ago would be utterly confused. There is even no need to go back so far. As recently as 15-20 years ago, internet technology would be considered as a development to be barely attained in a highly distant future of 100 years. The ongoing developments are indications that the approaching periods will be of great significance. At this point, it is apparent that the “Golden Age” will be a glorious period in which technology will be used to the highest degree and when thousands of benefits will be introduced for the service of humanity.
There will be a Heaven-like Environment in the “Golden Age”
The longing of believers for Heaven leads them to transform their surroundings into Heaven-like places. Certainly, Heaven is a place which contains works of art far beyond the imagination of anyone today, and perfect views that no one can attain in this world. However, the Qur’anic viewpoint exhorts us to use every means to make this world as much like Heaven as possible.
First of all, the believers will apply the understanding of cleanliness communicated by the Qur’an to their environment. All the dwellings, roads, places of worship, entertainment sites and offices, in short, everywhere, will be extremely clean. Allah, in one of His verses, commands the believers to “Purify your clothes. Shun all filth” (Surat al-Muddaththir: 4-5) In the “Golden Age,” in accordance with this verse, the clothes of the believers will be unprecedentedly clean. The cleansing materials necessary to fulfill this condition will be provided to all people.. In addition to people’s clothing and dwellings, the utmost importance will be given to environmental cleansing. Environmental pollution will be prevented in population centres; every problem resulting in air pollution will be solved. In addition, all comforts will be readily offered in places that serve for collective use. For example, all the places of worship will be supplied with continuously running hot and cold water; comfortable travel while using mass transportation will be available to everyone. Systems which will prevent people from hours of mistreatment in filthy, ill-smelling and crowded conditions will be established. Moreover, with the complete elimination of these places, people will no longer recall those difficulties undergone in the past.
Consequently, in this era, people will strive to form Heaven-like art, aesthetics and beauty. Allah describes the setting in Heaven, in Surat al-Insan as follows:
“And will reward them for their steadfastness with a Garden and with silk. Reclining in it on couches, they will experience there neither burning sun nor bitter cold. Its shading branches will droop down over them, its ripe fruit hanging ready to be picked. Vessels of silver and goblets of pure crystal will be passed round among them, crystalline silver, they have measured them very exactly. They will be given there a cup to drink mixed with the warmth of ginger. In it there is a flowing spring called Salsabil. Ageless youths will circulate among them, serving them, seeing them you would think them scattered pearls. Seeing them, you see delight and a great kingdom.” (Surat al-Insan: 12-20)
Precisely, the “Golden Age” will be an era in which Allah will present people with the most splendid beauties and blessings possible in the world. In order to envisage the environment in the “Golden Age,” it is sufficient to pay heed to the verses describing the setting in Heaven.
Living with the details of the Qur’an is a feature of the “Golden Age”
In societies where the morals of Islam are ignored, people are prone to every type of immorality. The reason why a person of faith abstains from immorality is from having a fear of Allah and knowing that Allah knows the secret; and furthermore, He knows what is hidden and one is conscious that he will be judged of all his deeds on the Day of Judgement. For this reason, he does not display any wicked deeds or engage in any unlawful actions. If he does, family life, economic life, politics and human relations will go through a very speedy degeneration. Because, in a life lacking the fear of Allah, there are neither limits nor rules. Limits are determined in accordance with the pleasures and ambitions of the soul (nafs). Along with the deterioration discerned in the family structure, as a natural consequence of this degeneration, dislocations arise in the essential structure of the society.
In societies where the morals of the Qur’an are ignored, no one is interested in each other’s well-being, health, comfort and security. Everyone is selfishly concerned only about his own interests; the goal is to earn more money, derive more benefits, and to have more property. Seeing people in hunger, he does not think of helping them but carries on spending extravagantly. He is aware of the people mistreated by his unjust earnings, but this does not stop him from such practices. People show tolerance to each other only when it is to their benefit.
Theft, bribary, suicide, abuse, and social injustice disregard the morals of the Qur’an by their very essence. However, one who grasps the morals of the Qur’an pays regard to justice and wants to attain the good pleasure of Allah and the eternal abode of the Hereafter by continuously engaging in good deeds.
Also, a person who has a fear of Allah does not make the slightest concession from his justice, tolerance, patience and good morals, despite what his conditions and environment might be. Allah describes people practicing the morals of the Qur’an as follows:
Those who fulfill Allah’s contract and do not break their agreement; those who join what Allah has commanded to be joined and are afraid of their Lord and fear an evil Reckoning; those who are steadfast in seeking the face of their Lord, and establish salat and give from the provision We have given them, secretly and openly, and stave off evil with good, it is they who will have the Ultimate Abode. (Surat ar-Rad: 20-22)
In this blissful era that draws near, people of superior morals who will maintain justice, practice the moral of the Qur’an meticulously and proclaim it to people will live. One of the most important causes of the attainment of a setting in which all the people are provided with considerable peace, security and comfort in the “Golden Age,” will be the good morals of the Muslims.
The Earth will be filled with Justice
As stated by the hadiths of our Prophet (saas), before the “Golden Age,” very serious corruption and injustice will prevail in society. Theft, forgery and fraudulence will increase to the utmost and those in need will not be protected; only a very small group will lead a life of prosperity. In the era in which the morals of the Qur’an dominate, the “Golden Age, “an atmosphere of justice, peace and security in a real sense will be attained in every segment of society. As an outcome of this environment full of justice, people will not commit any forgery, wickedness or other forbidden acts. The environment full of justice in “End Times” is mentioned in the hadiths as follows:
…Just as how the surface of the earth has filled with violence and cruelty, he will make it replete with righteousness and justice.
(Séneni-i Ebu Davut, 5/93)
He will distribute wealth evenly among people. His justice will permeate everywhere. The earth, replete with violence and wickedness, will overflow with justice with his arrivalé During the time of Mahdi, the justice will prevail to such an extent that every possession taken by force will be returned to his owner; furthermore, some other person’s thing, even it rests within one’s teeth, is given back to its owneréSecurity will permeate all over the earth and even, a few ladies will be able to fulfil their hajj, without the company of man.
(El-Kavlu’l Muhtasar Fi alamatil Mehdiyy-il Muntazar, p. 23)
He (the Mahdi) will seize the earth and make it, which was formerly filled with violence and oppression, fill with justice. if you find that time, take bait from him even if you have to crawl on snow to reach him, surely he would be Mahdi.
(Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 14)
…In his time, the good will be more good, even the wicked are treated good.
(Al-Burhan fi Alamat al-Mahdi Akhir al-Zaman, p. 17)
Harun Yahya is a prominent Turkish intellectual.
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